PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Black youth living in poverty-impacted communities are disproportionately burdened by behavioral health challenges, notably serious disruptive behavioral difficulties (DBDs). Without access to care, children with DBDs frequently suffer serious impairment. This study is based on the premise that if care navigation models are going to succeed in eliminating racial disparities in child mental health care, then the preparation and support for child behavioral health navigators (cbhNs) needs to include: 1) training to deliver evidence-based family engagement, psychoeducation and support interventions; 2) ongoing coaching and supervision focused on building collaborative relationships between families and provider partners and; 3) skills to enhance community/system buy-in, as well as to analyze and interrupt multi-level structural influences on disparities and system gaps. involves individuals STL. integrates education, The proposed study (in response to PAR 18-428) will be conducted in 2 phases. Phase 1 the r ecruitment and training of a new cohort of cbhNs (n=15), intentionally involving committed of color from an existing community-based network of outh service system partners, HomeGrown CbhNs will be prepared to collaborate with youth/families via an interactive training protocol which existing vidence-based approaches, including engagement interventions 19 , family support and adapted care navigation models and empirically supported implementation strategies to address y e barriers. Phase 2 is a mixed methods, hybrid effectiveness implementation experimental study, enrolling 390 early adolescent youth (10 to 14 years) of African descent and their families living in geographically defined St. Louis north city and county neighborhoods (racially segregated areas with high poverty concentration). The study aims to simultaneously examine multi-level factors that enhance or impede cbhN interaction and youth/family outcomes. In stakeholders, addition, the study explores the response to cbhNs by key network and system as well as of the cbhNs.This study is being conducted by a transdisciplinary network of scientists at Washington University in St. Louis and New York University in collaboration with St. Louis service organizations, policy officials and the HomeGrown STL Advisory Board. This application aligns with NIH's priorities to address underlying health disparities, as well as to enhance public health impact of mental health focused research studies.